Angelic Structure
Overview Though Heaven is fairly loose with their structure, each Angel has a rank which determines their role in the lives of other Angels and Heaven itself. Angels can go their entire lives without a wish to rise in ranking and responsibility, as not everyone is fit for the role of Ophanim. Hierarchy Fallen In the early history of the Divine, Fallen rank didn't exist. Back then, angels that showed signs of unsavory behavior were metaphorically supplexed straight to Hell. After careful deliberation, this rank became part of the system. It's a rehabilitative rank where an angel is put through something akin to community service. For modern angels, it's the equivalent of being asked to repent ghosts as punishments. Some angels have refused to rank up in the past and there isn't any punishment for it. Angels Angel ranking is where the majority of angels start at, considered a default rank. Not much is expected out of these angels and many live out their afterlives (or lives, depending on birth) content in this rank. They are your average, everyday citizen of Heaven whose lives are similar to their human counterparts, save for their governing bodies. Archangels These angels are the more active rank out of the bunch. They have a variety of jobs given to them by higher ranking angels, but their main focus is training and rehabilitation of Fallen angels. However, they won't shy away any regular angel from their services. Should an emergency come up, they are often tasked jobs from either Virtues or Ophanim and can act as leadership if necessary. Virtues Angels working towards enlightenment. In terms of function, they are similar to Archangels. They may aid Fallen angels, but their specialty is conditioning angels to become Archangels and eventually, Virtues. They are usually considered for leadership first should both a Seraph and Ophanim be absent. Ophanim The last obtainable rank for angels. Ophanim have a busy schedule that stresses the importance of their presence. They tend to work for Seraphim or other royalty, being advisers or even body guards. Which brings up their professions: Ophanim could either take the role of a political figure or an accomplished service-person (a "soldier" in a sense but not really.) In most cases, Ophanim take the positions of Seraphim where one would expect them. Unlike Seraphim, Ophanims have a more open schedule, allowing them to moderate their region of Heaven more efficiently. In addition to all of this, they are responsible for monitoring Heavenly libraries. Maybe they're the ones responsible for ripping out pages containing harmless dick drawings from the authors. Seraphs The highest, yet unobtainable rank. Seraphim are born into their positions, with their population being very small. Both Thrones and Immortals have a small, cummilative number of Seraphim. Seraphs work closely with God, making sure her guidance is eventually given to humans...Maybe, who knows. Seraphs are very busy individuals for that reason as well, giving them very little time to be proper leaders for other Angels. This is why Ophanims usually take their place in leadership roles where one would expect a Seraph. A peculiar trait for Seraphs is that only one is allowed on Earth at a time. Having more than one Seraph on Earth may have catastrophic results. We don't need the apocalypse to happen. In rare occurrences, Seraphim will become absent for a few reasons. To remedy this, other Seraphs or God herself will appoint a capable Angel to take their place (usually Ophanim, or a council of Ophanim). These Angels are known as Ascended Seraphim or Acting Seraphim. These Seraphs are only temporary until the one they're acting in place of returns. It is extremely rare for an Ascended Seraph to permanently keep their position and should be worrisome if it ever happens. Category:Heaven